Itel A31 Review, Specs and Price in Nigeria

Itel smartphones are one of the often-recommended phones for low-end users. The smartphone is quite affordable and comes with specs and features up to the standard of a low-end user. It is easy to assume that this smart device is an inferior of A32F, but that is not so true. Just as Itel A32F takes the upper hand in some aspects, A31 also takes the upper hand, in other aspects. The phone is furthermore one of the best-selling low-end phones, on some online stores.

Itel A31 Review

iTel A31 was released as a surprise, just like many low-end smartphones. The phone did not have any upfront announcement before its manufacturer rolled it into the Nigerian smartphone market. Ever since it release, the smart device has been selling at a good rate. The market success of iTel A31 can be attributed to the fact that it came with cool low-end specs and features while being affordable.

Only a few low-end smartphones come with the support of 4G networks. Unfortunately, iTel A31 is not of these smartphones. As the smartphone does not support 4G, putting a 4G-supported SIM card, wouldn’t make the phone use the 4G networks available in the user’s environment. However, the phone comes with 2G and 3G support, which should be able to handle the needs of a user of this smartphone.

Of recent, iTel has been improving on the designs of their smartphones. In the past, they are known for producing unattractive phones. However, things have changed, and iTel A31’s design is a proof of this claim. iTel A31 comes in a very nice design and in one colour, which is black. The phone is elegant in appearance, while it measures 144.50 x 72.80 x 8.90 mm. The only catch about the smart device is its thickness, which can be seen in the dimension of the smart device.

In 2018, the expected display size of a low-end smartphone is 5.00 inches (12.7 cm). iTel A31 meets up to this expectation with a 5.00 inches (12.7 cm) display. The display featured by this smartphone is a liquid crystal display and belongs to the in-plane switching family. This smart phone’s display has a resolution of 480 x 854 pixels. Interestingly, the resolution is one of the aspects where A31 is superior to A32F.

While the chipset that powers A31, cannot be condemned, it is not the chipset expected from this smartphone. The reason why the chipset is considered unsatisfactory is that the cores that make it up, have a maximum operating speed of 1.20 GHz. This speed is clearly below the 1.30 GHz expected from low-end smartphones. Furthermore, this smart device is made up of 4 cores, not 8.

Low-end smartphone users do not do a lot with their phones. They use their phones for just basic things. In other words, they do not need a lot of computing resources. To make iTel A31 as cheap as possible, iTel equipped the smartphone with a 1 GB RAM, which is just what is needed by a low-end user. A 2 GB RAM will be too much for a low-end user. Aside from being a waste, it will also drive up the cost of the smartphone, as well as power consumption.

The storage device in A31 has a capacity of 8 GB. While this is an ideal storage capacity, there will likely be low-end users, who will run out of storage space. For this kind of users, a micro SD card can be used to provide more storage space for the smartphone. Putting in other words, it is possible for this smartphone to have up to 40 GB of storage space.

While iTel features 1500 mAh batteries in some of their low-end phones, they feature a 2400 mAh battery in this smartphone. With the help of this battery, a user of this phone should not need to charge their smartphone more than once in a day. This device doesn’t come with a rapid charge system, so a user of this phone should expect a charging time of about 3 hours.

The operating system iTel A31 runs is the Nougat version of the Android operating system. Although version 8.0 and 9.0 have been released, it is, however, okay to run Android 7.0 Nougat on this phone. Android 7.0 Nougat is a cool OS, and one of the best Android operating systems to have ever existed. The OS has a good number of features that are not in Marshmallow and other older versions of Android.

There are two cameras in iTel A31’s system. These cameras are a 2 MP camera and an 8 MP camera. The 2 MP camera of the phone serves as the selfie camera, while the 8 MP of the phone serves as the rear camera. With a resolution of 8 megapixels, iTel A31 produces standard pictures. The 2 MP selfie camera is nothing to write about, but a user this phone was designed for, can play around with it.

Key Specs and Features

Display: 4.00 inches; in-plane switching (IPS) LCD; 480 x 854 pixels

Storage: 8 GB, expandable up to 32 GB

RAM: 1 GB SD-RAM

OS: Android 7.0 (Nougat)

Cameras: 2 MP front camera; 8 MP rear camera

Battery: 2400 mAh

Chipset: MediaTek; octa-core; 1.20 GHz

Fingerprint Scanner: No

Discussion

APPEARANCE

These days, appearance is one of those things a smartphone user takes into consideration when buying a phone. Not only is a beautiful smartphone appealing, but also commands respect. In the past, iTel phones are generally known to be unattractive. However, the manufacturer has worked on this stigma, and we now have nice iTel smartphones. iTel was able to improve the design of its phones, by hiring new designers who are skilled and experienced.

iTel A31 is one of iTel’s beautiful smart. The appearance of the smartphone is quite deceiving. Unless an individual checks the details of the phone, the phone might be mistaken as a mid-range phone. iTel A31 has the size of a typical 2018 low-end smartphone. The phone measures 144.5 x 72.8 x 8.9 mm, where the length is 144.50 mm, the breadth is 72.80 mm, and the thickness is 8.90 mm. The device has a plastic body and comes in only colour, black.

CHIPSET

When computing hardware are assembled, there is always a hardware required to bring the other hardware alive. This hardware is known as the CPU. CPUs which are also called processors are the brain of computing systems.

These hardware are responsible for carrying out instructions in computer programs and directing other hardware in their system. These days, computers come with more than 1 processor, and these processors often exist on a single chip.

The chipset that champions iTel A31, comes from MediaTek. MediaTek is a chipset manufacturer located in China. This chipset manufacturer is one of the best in the world. They manufacture powerful, cheap, durable and power-efficient chipsets. Furthermore, they are the producer of many chipsets used by high-end smartphones.

iTel A31 is championed by a MediaTek chipset. Unlike some high-end smartphones that have 8 cores, the chipset is made up of four cores. These cores can operate at speeds not more than 1.20 GHz. 1.20 GHz is no doubt a disappointment, but the effect would not be significant.

STORAGE

Just as desktops and laptops need a storage device, smartphones also need storage devices. The reason for this is that computing systems use storage devices to store things permanently, on their smartphones. The operating system of smartphones are also housed on the storage device of phones. In addition, more storage space means more room to store things.

iTel A31 comes with a storage device that has a capacity of 8 GB. It is hard to state if this storage space will be enough for a user of this smartphone or not. The reason for this is that some users of this phone will find an 8GB storage to be okay, while some will find it to be inadequate.

The storage space of iTel A31 is not limited to 8 GB. This smartphone can have as much as 40 GB of storage space. With a storage space as high as 40 GB, the kind of user this phone was designed for, should have no problem using the smartphone. However, expanding the storage space of iTel A31 will require a micro SD card.

RAM

Random access memories are the main memory of smartphones. The reason for this is that other types of memory do not support random access. Memories that do not support random access are not used as main memory because they can introduce inefficiency into the operations of smartphones.

iTel A31 comes with a 1 GB RAM. If used by the kind of user it was designed for, there should be no problem. However, if this smartphone is used by mid-range users, a seamless operation cannot be guaranteed. Unlike in the aspect of storage, the RAM space of a phone cannot be expanded. A user who wants a RAM higher than 1 GB, may have to consider some other smartphones.

BATTERY

In a country like Nigeria, the battery capacity of smartphones is very important. This is so because a very large amount of places in this country, do not have stable power supply. In other words, phone users are often left with a powerless phone, or have to go around to charge their smartphone. In addition, some people do get power bricks to augment their device power.

iTel A31 comes with Li-Ion battery, which has a capacity of 2400 mAh. While this might seem to be poor, it isn’t. With a battery of this capacity, a user of this phone should have no issue with power, as the hardware of this smartphone are power-efficient. The cameras, RAM, chipset and essential hardware of the phone, are all power-efficient.

CAMERAS

There are two cameras in iTel A31’s system. One of these cameras is nicely positioned in the front of the smartphone. As expected, the other camera of the phone is featured on the rear side of the smart device. The front camera of this smartphone is quite a joke, as it has a resolution of 2 megapixels. A camera with such a resolution has no place in this current technological age.

ITel A31 makes up for its front camera, in the rear camera. While the front camera has a poor resolution of 2 megapixels, the rear camera has a resolution of 8 megapixels. With 8 megapixels, the rear camera will take nice pictures. Although, it wouldn’t take nice pictures consistently, but it will most of the time.

NETWORK

iTel A31 is not a 4G smartphone, and this is not a disappointment. Although there are low-end smartphones that come with 4G support, A31’s lack of 4G-support is still not a disappointment as the smartphone is quite cheap. However, the phone has good support for 2G and 3G networks.

Itel A31 Full Specs and Features

STATUS

Announcement Status: Announced

Announcement: N/A

Release Status: Released

Release: N/A

NETWORK

2G: Yes, GSM (850/900/1800/1900)

3G: Yes, HSDPA (850/900/1700/1900/2100)

4G: No

SIM

Count: Dual SIM

Type: Micro SIM

APPEARANCE

Dimension: 144.50 x 72.80 x 8.90 mm

Weight: N/A

Colours: Black

Case Type: Plastic

DISPLAY

Size: 4.00 inches

Type: in-plane switching (IPS) LCD

Resolution: 480 x 854 pixels

Pixel Density: 196 pixels per inch (ppi)

RAM

Size: 1 GB

Type: SD-RAM

CHIPSET

Manufacturer: MediaTek

Model: N/A

Cores: 4 cores (quad-core)

Speed: 1.20 GHz

OS

Type: Android

Version: 7.0 (Nougat)

Edition: N/A

STORAGE

Size: 8 GB

Expansion Support: Yes

Expansion Limit: 32 GB

CAMERAS

Total: 2 cameras

Front Camera: 2 MP

Rear Camera: 8 MP

Front LED Flash: No

Rear LED Flash: Yes

FINGERPRINT SCANNER

Fingerprint Scanner: No

Position: N/A

GPU

GPU: Mali 400

Speed: N/A

TECHNOLOGIES

Wi-Fi (Mobile Hotspot)

Bluetooth

USB

GPS

SENSORS

Accelerometer

Gyroscope

Proximity Sensor

Compass

Light Sensor

BATTERY

Type: Li-Ion

Capacity: 2400 mAh

Rapid-charge system: Yes

Itel A31 Price in Nigeria

Itel A31 price in Nigeria ranges from 20,000 Naira to 25,000 Naira and is available in Itel authorized retail stores nationwide as well as online on Konga, Jumia, Slot and other e-commerce stores in the country.